When every sale is significant, knowing what is working at retail is essential. Most floor covering retailers agreed that the strength is currently at higher end or entry-level goods, soft carpet is hot, and luxury vinyl tile (LVT) is the “go to” product across the country.

Soft carpet is popular coast-to-coast. “Soft is going to be even bigger in 2013, with everybody jumping on the wagon,” noted Jerry Butler, co-owner, Fred’s CarpetsPlus in Torrance, Calif., which added a location this past spring. “Silk (SmartStrand Silk with DuPont Sorona) is still huge for us. Mohawk added two multi-color cut-piles and are about to add several LCLs. Karastan will add three products soon,” he said. “We also feel Shaw’s large Anso Color Wall is very well designed and will be a nice addition to our South store.”

Peter Messner, president of Messner Carpet, Pittsford, N.Y., agreed, saying, “Soft is big and we have had some luck with Silk. Masland’s (Stainmaster) TruSoft was late to market, but we have it now and customers love it. Tuftex has some great LCLs and a color wall that is doing very well for us.”
Carpet accounts for 65 percent of sales at Rick Warman’s Flooring America, which operates two stores in Chicago. “I sell a lot of unusual carpet — Kane broadloom and Stanton runners,” he said, adding, “People like the soft carpets and I think TruSoft will be important.”

SVT/LVT leads hard surface
“The hottest product in years is SVT (solid vinyl tile) and LVT,” Messner said. “Armstrong has a home run in Alterna. Our vinyl business is up 24 percent. The new sheet vinyl products are a better product than wood or CT (ceramic tile) in many areas of the home,” he added.

“We are finding that people are interested in the vinyl click products and they seem to be working. We recently finished an 18,000 square foot install of click. I am happy with both the look and feel. Now we will see how it performs,” he noted.
“Laminate is dead,” Messner judged. “If the SVT folks don’t pay attention they will go the same route,” he warned.

California likes LVT, too. “It (LVT) is going up dramatically, mainly for commercial work,” Butler said. “We are selling Reward from Galleher distributors, as well as products from Shaw and Mohawk.”
Wendy Werner, president of Carpet Town, a Stainmaster Flooring Center in West Allis, Wis., said, “LVT has become the go to product that can look like wood or ceramic and is easier to maintain and easier on budgets,” she said.
Janet Herlihy